It was going to be a Ballooning, Biking, and Baseball weekend!
It sure sounded like fun and that's exactly how it turned out to be.
Then we were met by the Pilot and shuttled over to our "launching pad" - okay not really - but we needed to find a suitable field for take off. And suitable all depends on the time and weather conditions.
After about a 10 minutes drive we found our "spot". The crew got straight to work setting up the Balloon and Basket while I clicked away (at my shutter - not my keyboard). Not long before it was time for lift off, it was time for a safety review. Pretty sure that we all passed!
Then came the time for what we were all waiting for, getting into the basket and going up up and away! Fog had loomed and the landscape was dramatic, in the distance we had spotted other hot air ballooners, and we reached the height of 6,000 feet. After about 1h and 15-20 minutes we had begun to make our decent. The only issue being that we didn't have an "okay" place to lower down onto. With the ground crew following along from below, we had eventually touched down and waited until it was safe to exit the basket. |
At which point it was time for a toast of either Champagne, Mimosa, or Sparkling Cider - we opted for the Cider and had listened to the pilot as he resited the Ballooners Prayers: May the winds welcome you with softness. May the sun bless you with its warm hands. May you fly so high and so well that God joins you in laughter and sets you gently back into the loving arms of Mother Earth. |
I was hungry and we were heading to breakfast at Ranchos Cocina, a Mexican restaurant that I've been hearing about for years. While I'm not a huge Mexican food fan, that's probably what's taken me so long to finally go and try this restaurant out. They offer a huge menu that caters to every type of eater/diet.
So off we went.
I ordered us a Quesadilla to share, an Enchilada combo plate, and Dave ordered the Chilaquiles. The food was BOMB, and the place was just adorable. This is definitely the best Mexican food that I've ever eaten and I will be going back, as well as doing a FOODIE FRIDAY feature on this yummy restaurant!
At this point in our day I'll admit that there was tension between Dave and I.
I had got upset with him before breakfast, and we hadn't been speaking ever since...
*On the plus side it meant I didn't have to share the DELICIOUS Quesadilla with him!
So around this time, it was getting rather awkward and either we needed to spend some time apart or put the situation behind us.
Spending time around the headlands, tide pools and eventually making it back to the lighthouse just before they closed.
*By now Dave and I were on speaking terms again just so ya know.
*The staff and management at the hotel were absolutely just wonderful and helpful beyond expectations.
Working off a bit of our pre-bike ride carb load, we strolled back to our hotel and it was time to attempt some shut eye.
Our alarms went buzzing in the morning, and the time had come to don our biking duds and make our way to the starting line. The weather was definitely more bearable, and was overcast, which to me was just perfect for our nice little 25 mile bike ride that pretty much begins with pedaling over the usually closed to bicycles Coronado Bridge.
The overcast weather had remained for the entire day, which like I said was good for me, but not too good for pretty and colorful pictures. Oh well.
The turn out for the bike ride was much bigger than we had seen it before (this was my second time doing this ride and Dave's third time).
After checking out a few of the vendors at the celebration, we made our way back to the hotel to shower and prepare for the next thing on our list - going to a baseball game.
It was San Diego Padres vs the first place St. Louis Cardinals and luckily for most of the game we were sitting in the shade - because the sun did come out after all.
The game was exciting, and fun to watch; a real hit fest. Padres fans were hoping that their team would sweep the Cards, but that just wasn't in the cards as the St Louis team took home the win.
Dave and I both had a fun filled Ballooning, Biking, and Baseball filled weekend!
What a blast - it was busy and if you're into that sort of thing, and I highly recommend it!
That's it, that's me, I'm T, and I'm outta here!